VoCoGro is finished!

You enjoyed the meeting? Or you wish you could have been here? There is more! Discussions on
vocal communication will continue at the VIHAR-2019 meeting, 29-30 August 2019, London
(satellite of XXVII International Bioacoustics Congress - IBAC-2019). You can sign up to the VIHAR mailing list
or join the VIHAR Facebook group to stay informed about this meeting. Meanwhile
you can visit the website of the previous iteration.

What was VoCoGro?

VoCoGro took place in the Rode Zaal of the University Medical Center Groningen.
The UMCG is located just off the city center, on the East side:

Within the hospital, just follow the signs. The Rode Zaal is located on the 2nd floor and can be accessed from the lift in Winkelstraat:

VoCoGro is a workshop on Vocal Communication in Humans, Animals and Robots. VoCoGro took place at the
University Medical Center Groningen, Netherlands, on 29 October 2018. The workshop brought together many
outstanding researchers and clinicians with diverse backgrounds who share an interest in vocal communication
in-and-between humans, animals, and robots. We hope we stimulated lively discussions on theoretical issues,
methods, and possible clinical applications from a multi-disciplinary perspective.
Check the program!

VoCoGro also served as a kick-off event for new research programs at the dB SPL lab.
It will highlight the VICI research program “It takes two to communicate: Voice perception and
linguistic content” of Deniz Başkent (NWO, ZonMw), as well as the VENI program “More than words: Uncovering the effects
of talkers’ voices on real-life speech perception by cochlear implant users” of Terrin Tamati (NWO).

Event Details:

Date: Monday, 29 October 2018

Time: 9:30-17:00

Location: Rode Zaal, UMCG, Groningen, Netherlands

See the info page for details on how to come to Groningen and where to stay.

About this workshop

Our interest in vocal communication originally comes from the wish to better understand the role of vocal communication for speech and language processing in hearing impairment. Speech is such an important part of human communication, conveying rich information about the message (what is said) as well as the speaker’s voice (who said it). Voice information can significantly contribute to communication, such as in conveying emotions or enhancing speech segregation and comprehension in cocktail-party listening — situations where hearing-impaired listeners have the most difficulties. The major focus of our new research projects is voice processing and its role in speech perception, especially with hearing impairment.

However, vocal communication is of course a much larger concept than human speech communication only. Researchers have long been investigating fundamental similarities/differences between human communication and non-human communication. This is not only interesting from a theoretical perspective, for example on the evolution of human language, but also from a practical perspective. What tools and methods can we share to enhance our own research practices on human vocal communication, and how can we place our findings in the larger context of non-human communication? Further, how can we draw from our research to make clinical testing and training effective and engaging (for example, for children) using exploring state-of-the art methods (music training, humanoid robots)?

The aim of this workshop is to provide a platform for researchers in human and non-human communication to share theoretical issues, new findings, methodologies, and tools. We also hope to stimulate lively discussions about possible extensions to other research fields, clinical applications (better diagnostics and training in hearing impairment), and technological applications (human-computer interaction, better hearing devices).